Items in Teamfight Tactics play a crucial role in maximizing the power of champions. Some items are so important that they become prerequisites for choosing a team composition. For instance, you must have Rapid Firecannon to effectively run compositions centered around Kayle or Zed.
For many players, the item system appears entirely random, and players cannot anticipate which items they might receive. In fact, this is not entirely accurate; you can accurately predict the items that can be received from monster rounds. This is all thanks to the hidden item mechanic that exists in Teamfight Tactics.
Essentially, every player starts the match with a “hidden item bag” containing 8 empty slots. Each of these slots is meant to hold a basic item (except for the Spatula). In the case of the Gloves of Thievery, it occupies 2 slots in the “hidden item bag.” Therefore, after the first 3 monster rounds, you will always receive different basic items, except in the case of the Gloves of Thievery.
After each shared draft round, the number of each basic item you can hold in your “hidden item bag” increases by 1. This number will stop increasing after the fourth shared draft round. This means that the more of a basic item you possess (except for items taken from the shared draft), the lower your chance of receiving that item in the next monster round. Conversely, the chances of receiving items that you have not yet obtained from monster rounds will significantly increase as you progress to the next monster round.
The simplest way to leverage this hidden mechanic is to prioritize taking items you need in large quantities to build your composition during the shared draft round. For example, if you plan to play around Kayle and Zed, players should always take a Wooden Bow during the shared draft. Even if you do not receive a Wooden Bow from the previous monster round, your chances of getting this item in the subsequent monster rounds will be very high. Thus, acquiring a Wooden Bow in the shared draft will help you assemble a Rapid Firecannon early on.
Additionally, you should build compositions that utilize multiple Gloves of Thievery to have more flexibility in choosing items. This is because the Gloves of Thievery have a much higher drop rate (this item occupies 2 slots in your “hidden item bag”). Therefore, compositions like Duelist (Gauntlet of Strength for Yasuo) or Warrior (Infinity Edge, Gemstone Gloves for Nidalee) are proving to be extremely strong as they can build items very easily.
Hopefully, by understanding this hidden mechanic, players will make more informed choices regarding item acquisition in the shared draft round and can secure victories more easily.